The statement Paul Surridge and Murray Scallon seemed to be making via Z Zegna’s debut at Pitti Immagine Uomo yesterday had a lot to do with the term ‘sportification’. Is that even a word? Well, if these two have any say it’s sure to find its way into the Oxford soon.

For while it’s clear as to what this brand’s role is within the Zegna empire – playing the younger, sportier cousin to Ermenegildo’s luxuriously mature tailoring – it’s the extent to which the new Z Zegna is pushing its own envelope that will act as refreshing news to many.

Trainers were paired with suits, toned down with techno anoraks slung over the top in the ultimate fusion of sports-meets-tailoring. Shocks of metallic whizzed through a colour palette that graduated from blue to emerald green and shades of neon, materialising as checks and spot prints that injected a further air of things classic. The jet-setting nature of the new Z Zegna man was also made apparently via the exotic feel of Shibori style knits.

Not only was this a moment that cemented the growing pull of Pitti Uomo itself, but a moment for Z Zegna and the man he dresses. He’s growing and isn’t afraid to shake things up in the process.